31st October 1970

British Rail (Western Region)
The Witney Wanderer

DMU Used 9-car Pressed Steel formation including set 420 & 51409

Route : 1Z10 (?throughout?)

DMU Route
as listed London Paddington - Slough - Reading - Didcot East Jn - Didcot North Jn - Oxford
as listed Oxford - Abingdon
as listed Abingdon - Kennington Jn
as listed Kennington Jn - Morris Cowley
as listed Morris Cowley - Kennington Jn - Oxford - Wolvercot Jn - Yarnton Jn - Witney
as listed Witney - Yarnton Jn - Wolvercot Jn - Oxford - (reverse of outward route) - London Paddington

Notes :
(1) Rod Miebs comments: The Witney branch closed on Monday 2nd November 1970, two days after this tour. The tour leaflet said "Ours will be the last branch train". It went into the original terminal station at Witney. This remained for goods when a new station was built on the Fairford extension. The leaflet also mentioned that Company Freightliner trains were part of the traffic from Cowley. They conveyed cars for assembly overseas via Harwich: The Freightliner name is older than I thought. Passengers were able to wander at Witney and Abingdon. I have no record of doing so at Morris Cowley.

Sources : Rod Miebs (on the tour throughout), Simon Greenaway, Andrew Fairholm & Stanley C. Jenkins

Photo Review


Set 420 standing just short of the original Whitney terminus - it could not enter
as the bridge in the foreground had cast iron girders (photo: Stanley C. Jenkins)


Stanley C. Jenkins' ticket.


Timings (Booked & Actual)
(from Simon Greenaway, Rod Miebs & Clive Barlow)

M.C Location Booked Actual   Booked Actual M.C
0.00 London Paddington 12.50d [ML] ?   19.15a ? 170.62
1.20 Westbourne Park 12/53 ?   19/11 ? 169.42
9.06 Southall 13/00½ ?   19/03 ? 161.56
18.36 Slough 13.10a ~ 13.12d ?   18.50a ~ 18.52d ? 152.26
24.19 Maidenhead 13/19 ?   18/43 ? 146.42
31.01 Twyford 13/25 ?   18/37 ? 139.61
35.78 Reading 13.31a ~ 13.33d ?   18.28a ~ 18.30d ? 134.64
52.68 Didcot East Jn 13/53 ?   18/08 [ML] ? 117.74
53.64 Didcot North Jn 13/54½ ?   18/07 ? 116.78
63.30 Oxford 14.05a ~ 14.13d 14.05 ~ 14.13   17.55a ~ 17.57d ? 107.32

 

M.C Location Booked Actual
68.34 Radley 14*21 ~ 14*35 ?
70.78 Abingdon 14.45a ~ 14.55d ?
73.42 Radley 15*05 ~ 15*15 ?
76.13 Kennington Jn 15.25 ~ 15.30 ?
78.56 Morris Cowley 15.45 ~ 15.55 ?
81.14 Kennington Jn 16/10 ?
83.42 Oxford 16/15 ?
86.34 Wolvercot Jn 16/18 ?
87.27 Yarnton Jn 16/20 16.30 ~ ??.??
95.37 Witney 17.00a ~ 17.10d ??.?? ~ 17.30
103.47 Yarnton Jn 17/50 ?
104.40 Wolvercot Jn 17/52 ?

Timings continue in first table.

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